Music Appreciation

I often find myself caught up in a song or memory associated with a song. This is a pretty common thing, right? I don't think I have met a person yet, that isn't affected by music in one way or another. Well, I just want to say thank you to some of the people that have influenced my love of music. There is no way I could include everyone, so here is a partial list. My piano teacher for 8 years, give or take, Nancy D., thank you for showing me the beauty of classical music. My band directors, Kathy J. and Dick C., for showing me so many styles of music and how to play many different instruments. Classroom music instruction also showed me all the different layers of music. My Mom for encouraging me to stick with the band program as I entered high school. Not only did I try it for one semester, I continued for the entire 4 years. My Dad for exposing me to such a wide range of artists. Everything from the Commodores to the Doors. It wasn't uncommon to wake up to music blasting on the turntable in our house. Although, not always appreciated at the time, it will always be a treasured memory. We also had limited TV time in our house, but music never seemed to be restricted. My older brothers and older sister also influenced my taste in music today. I can remember sharing a room with Correne and every night we would set our clock radio to play music until we fell asleep. That's probably where my love of 80's music comes from. I have to thank my best friend of so many years, Jenny. I remember listening to our walkmans together. Our artists of choice at that time, the Bangles, B-52's and Guns and Roses. I want to thank my first true love, Ed. So many of my favorites stem from that relationship. It was an impressionable time in my life. To Abe, for exposing me to artists and even genres of music I had not yet encountered when we met. Of course, after almost 12 years together we have a few "our" songs. We have been to many live concerts together, Stone Temple Pilots, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Page and Plant, U2 and The Ramones, just to name a few. I want to thank our newest friends, Tracy and Kevin. They have exposed me to a handful of artists that I never paid any attention to before. We have been fortunate enough to catch Social Distortion and Reverend Horton Heat with them, and I truly enjoyed myself at both shows. Of course, movie soundtracks play a key role, as well. Some of my favorites are Trainspotting, Great Expectations, Titanic, Pulp Fiction, O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. I just want the world to know I am passionate about music. I hate hearing about budget cuts to music programs in our schools. Maybe I will become a "save the music" activist, one of these days. Hmmm....